Archive for April, 2009
April 7th, 2009 | 
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Is the next generation going to be composed of gimmicks or innovation, great game play or mass market mini-games? If the current Wii-volution that is occurring across the Walmarts that scatter the great land of America is a sign of the things to come, I may just have to hang up my gamer badge for good.
Let’s jump into the DeLorean and take a little time travelling trip back to the past: in the dark days of the Gamecube, amidst internet rumblings of Nintendo going third-party, a little white box was being secretly developed in the inner sanctums of Nintendo.
Having already launched the strange yet undeniably appealing DS, this new console had a working codename of Revolution. Read the rest of this entry »
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Baseball is known as America’s pastime but Football is truly the game of American dreams. It would seem asinine to suggest that the Super Bowl is anything but a national phenomenon. That fervor for the sport has translated well to the spectrum of video games. Ever since the early days of the Sega Genesis, digital football has been a mainstay in the console gaming scene. Even though he has a face for radio, any gamer worth their salt would instantly recognize John Madden’s characteristic double chin and Children of the Damned-like white hair. Read the rest of this entry »
PS3 exclusives have a way of getting pissed on by the general public and media before they are given a chance.
The more superstitious fanboy might even call it a PS3 curse. Let’s run down the list: Lair became an industry whipping boy filling up Youtube with spastics that flailed SIXAXIS controllers with reckless abandon.
Ninja Theory’s gorgeous Heavenly Sword wasn’t measured on its own merits, but was held up against the standard that should be reserved for God of War. Sega’s stellar Valkyria Chronicles is seemingly invisible to the majority of mainstream gamers. Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft has a plan.
I know that this statement might conjure up images of Steve Ballmer and Robbie Bach sitting in a darkened office plotting new ways to steal more PS3 exclusives, but if you look at Microsoft as a game company, they’ve come a long way in just two short generations of consoles.
The original Xbox cautiously tested the market; it built a fan base and turned Halo into an industry buzzword. Microsoft learned the ropes from the old king of the hill — the PlayStation Brand.
Those lessons for success were simple: Get to the market first; aid developers and programmers; and finally, the most important of all — give gamers games. With the Xbox 360, Microsoft did this in a big way, promoting new franchises like Gears of War and Left 4 Dead.
I am lucky enough to be a platform connoisseur; while my credit card might cry otherwise, I am quite content to have all three current generation beasts sitting peaceably under one high definition television. My last shreds of fanboyism were shed back in the glory days of Sega. After all, the Saturn and Dreamcast were so misunderstood, they needed my undying support. But it wasn’t so long ago that my favorite hobby had a very short and tight budget. I had to continually choose between consoles and take deep breaths every time the competitor got to host an exclusive title. Read the rest of this entry »